Finland Extends Residence Requirement for Finnish Citizenship from 5 to 8 Years.
Key Takeaways
1. To be eligible for Finnish citizenship, applicants must have lived in the country for a minimum of eight years.
2. The new regulation took effect on October 1 and applies to all foreign applicants submitting their applications from that date onward.
3. Applications submitted before October will be evaluated according to the previous Citizenship Act.
Beginning October 1, 2024, individuals seeking Finnish citizenship must demonstrate at least eight years of residency in the country due to the recent amendments to the Citizenship Act.
According to the Finnish Immigration Services, the required residency duration may be shortened based on specific circumstances. Additionally, the rules regarding the number of days allowed outside the country have been updated.
Going forward, a maximum of 365 days spent outside of Finland will be considered part of the residency requirement, with no more than 90 of those days allowed in the year preceding the citizenship decision. Any time spent abroad beyond these limits will not count toward the residency period.
Changes to the Citizenship Act Effective After October 1, 2024
Individuals who submit their applications before October 1, 2024, will have their requests processed under the old regulations, meaning the new changes to the Citizenship Act will not affect these earlier applications.
This means that those who applied for citizenship before October will need to show five years of continuous residence in the country. Additionally, individuals who have lived in Finland for seven years, with the last two years being continuous, are also eligible for citizenship.
For cases requiring less than five years of residence, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Strong language skills
- Finnish spouse
- Nordic passport
- Granted international or humanitarian protection from Finland
- Stateless status
Authorities Urge Early Application Submission Due to Backlog
The Finnish Immigration Services has advised applicants to submit their citizenship applications as soon as possible due to a significant backlog of about 28,000 pending requests.
Authorities have noted that the number of citizenship applications has surged in recent years, with many applications being incomplete.
Processing times for citizenship requests have also lengthened due to the high volume of applications that do not meet the necessary criteria. Applicants are encouraged to ensure they fulfill all requirements before submitting their applications, as failure to do so may result in a negative decision.
The authorities aim to address the backlog of citizenship applications by 2027, with the Citizenship Act reforms planned to be implemented in three stages, two of which have already been executed.